The present invention relates to a semi-rigid, hand-held package for use as a convenient microwaveable food container. More particularly, the package includes a thermal insulating surface to protect the consumer from the hot item. Another aspect of the hand-held package is an easy open tear strip device.
The use of microwave energy for cooking has been available for many years. Microwave shielding material is known in the art to shield microwave energy from a food product or to focus microwave energy to a particular portion of a food product in order to cook the food. Microwave susceptor materials are known in the art and are used in microwave cooking apparatuses for directly heating food and for browning by conduction from the microwave susceptor material heated by the absorption of microwaves.
Numerous microwaveable products are on the market that consists of food items such as burritos, croissant pockets, sandwiches and pizzas, packaged in various kinds of cartons, and trays. The food items of these products are typically removed from an outer carton or wrapper and placed in a microwave oven for cooking. A susceptor material may or may not surround the food item while cooking. At the completion of cooking, the food items are removed from the microwave oven and have a required sit time, before the product can be handled for eating.
The self-venting microwaveable package disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,969 is a microwaveable plastic bag for heating a variety of products including liquids. One seam of the bag incorporates a strip seal that vents when enough pressure is generated in the bag in order to prevent explosion of the bag.
A multi-layer microwave conductive structure is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,530,231, which is incorporated herein by reference. The disclosed conductive structure for use in microwave food packaging adapts itself to heat food articles in a safer, more uniform manner. The structure includes a conductive layer disposed on a non-conductive substrate. An aspect of the structure""s conductive layer of links and base areas causes microwave induced current to be channeled through the links resulting in controlled heating.
Metallized microwave diffuser films are disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,300,746, which is incorporated herein by reference. The films include an insulative substrate, having a first side upon which is deposited a metallic coating capable of selectively reflecting a portion of incoming microwave energy.
Susceptor sleeves for browning or crisping food in microwave ovens are known in the art as described in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,948,932 and 4,775,771. These patents describe sleeves formed from flexible or semi-flexible substrates that include a susceptor material. A food item is placed within the sleeve and then cooked in microwave oven. Sleeves for insulating containers containing hot liquids are described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 which discloses an insulating beverage container holder formed of a tubular sleeve made from corrugated cellulose material. However, the sleeves of the U.S. Pat. No. 5,205,473 patent are not designed for insulating a container containing a food item that is being cooking in a microwave oven.
Those systems, which disclose containers for heating or cooking using microwave energy or disclose materials which reflect microwave energy or become hot upon contact with microwave energy transmission, may be used to heat and cook food products adequately, however, the containers that contain the food become extremely hot. In this respect, the present microwaveable packages are time consuming and inefficient because time is lost in waiting for the container to cool before it can be handled and/or the food has to be transferred to another receptacle that can be held. The microwaveable packages are not designed for handling while eating the cooked food at its optimal temperature because at the optimal eating temperature the package is too hot to hold. Further, current microwaveable packages are not configured to fit in one hand of the user while being eaten.
Therefore, there is a need in the art for a microwave heating package system which may be used to heat a fresh, frozen or refrigerated, cooked or uncooked food item, or any other item in a microwave oven that is a hand held microwave appropriate container designed for single handed use and portability. There is also a need in the art for a hand held container that is configured to provide the user with a cool surface for holding the container and using the contents of the container, while keeping the contents of the container hot. Thus, the present invention allows for immediate handling of the container and eliminates the need for additional receptacles to hold the hot item.
The present invention is directed to a hand-held package for use as a convenient microwaveable container. Specifically, the container comprises an easy open device, and is insulated to protect the consumer from the hot item. More particularly, the container includes a semi-rigid outer component, a semi-rigid inner component and a thermal insulating surface. The semi-rigid inner component may have a microwave susceptor surface positioned as an inner surface of the inner component.
Another embodiment of the present invention is a container for heating an item using microwaves that includes a container having a semi-rigid outer component and a semi-rigid inner component; a thermal insulating layer, which protects the consumer from being burned from the hot item after heating in a microwave oven; and an easy open device. The easy open device allows for easy and convenient access to the item after heating in a microwave oven. Also, the semi-rigid inner component may have a microwave susceptor surface positioned as an inner surface of the inner component.
The foregoing has outlined rather broadly the features and technical advantages of the present invention in order that the following detailed description of the invention may be better understood. Additional features and advantages of the invention will be described hereinafter which form the subject of the claims of the invention. It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the conception and specific embodiment disclosed may be readily utilized as a basis for modifying or designing other structures for carrying out the same purposes of the present invention. It should also be realized by those skilled in the art that such equivalent constructions do not depart from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims. The novel features which are believed to be characteristic of the invention, both as to its organization and method of operation, together with further objects and advantages will be better understood from the following description when considered in connection with the accompanying figures. It is to be expressly understood, however, that each of the figures is provided for the purpose of illustration and description only, and is not intended as a definition of the limits of the present invention.